Triaxial Experimental Study of Zinc Contaminated Red Clay under Different Temperature Conditions

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper used experimental methods to investigate the mechanical properties of zinc-contaminated red clay. In this study, the experiments were carefully designed with proper control groups.  The conclusion that temperature, zinc contamination concentration, and surrounding pressure significantly impact red clay’s mechanical properties can be potentially interesting to the science and engineering community. The manuscript is in general well written. I recommend its publication in Applied Sciences after a minor revision with the following comments addressed.

 

1.     In 3.1.1, experimental data shows that “the stress-strain relationship of red 172 clay at different temperatures is of the strain-hardening type.” The authors should include more quantitative analysis of the stress-strain data. What is the order of magnitude of elastic modulus? Where is the elastic limit and how does it change with temperature?

2.     In 3.1.1, the experimental data shows that “the primary stress difference corresponding to the same axial strain position basically increases with the increase of temperature.” (Line 177-178). However, a discussion on the mechanism is missing. The authors need to include a discussion on the models and mechanisms of how temperature can impact the stress-strain relationship.

 

3.     Similarly, a discussion on the mechanism is missing in 3.1.2 and 3.1.3. The authors need to include a discussion on the models and mechanisms of how zinc concentration and pressure can impact the stress-strain relationship.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer，

 I feel honored to receive your feedback on my essay. After reading the valuable comments you provided, I do feel that the content of my article is still lacking in some way. The three points you mentioned will play a crucial role in improving the quality of my article.
 At present, I have made adjustments and additions to the article according to your comments. The specific revised responses to the review comments can be found in the attachment below, please review it.
Thank you again for reviewing my article, and I wish you good luck and happiness in your work.

Kind regards,

Jianqiang Wang 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The "Triaxial Experimental Study of Zinc Contaminated Red Clay at Different Temperature Conditions" is scientifically significant and original. However, there are some areas for improvement in the manuscript. This manuscript can be received after minor revision.

1. The words in the title of the paper should not be repeated as keywords. In addition, there are more keywords, it is recommended to re-consider and refine them, and the recommended number of keywords is 3 to 5.

2. The format of the secondary and tertiary headings is wrong.

3. The format of references in the paper is not standardized, and it is suggested to be revised.

4. The format (font and size) of figure names in the paper is wrong, and the horizontal and vertical coordinates and font size of pictures are appropriately adjusted.

5. The format of the text and values in the table is wrong, please modify them according to the relevant content in the template

6. Authors should avoid using long sentences. This is an inappropriate, annoying and confusing thing for the readers of the manuscript.

7. There is an error in the description of the basic properties of zinc nitrate.

8. The use of "figure" and "fig." in the text is consistent.

9. There are grammatical errors in the text, so it is recommended that the entire text be re-corrected.

10. The format of some references is not standard. Check the rules of the journal for proper reference writing.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

 I am honored to receive your feedback on my paper. After reading the valuable comments you have provided, I do feel that the basic framework and format of my article is still problematic to some extent. The ten points you mentioned will play a vital role in improving the quality of the article.

I have now made adjustments and additions to the article based on your review comments. The specific revised responses to the review comments are attached below for your review.

Thank you again for reviewing my article, and I wish you good luck and happiness in your work.

Kind regards,

Jianqiang Wang

Author Response File: Author Response.docx